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Now is the time for immigration reform that adheres to Biblical principles (guest column)

May Day march for immigration reform 2013

Martina Cano marching for immigration reform from the Children's Museum to Calder Plaza on Wednesday, May 1, 2013 in Grand Rapids, Mich. The supporters carried signs, voiced their support and waved American flags. (Latara Appleby | MLive.com)

Ask U.S. House leadership whether immigration reform will be taken up this year, and it'll be a resounding "no."

News reports have abounded that Republicans who head that chamber won't take up the issue during the election year.

But Cornerstone University President Joseph Stowell thinks lawmakers are doing a disservice by not passing comprehensive reforms.

Cornerstone this week will host Jenny Yang, vice president of advocacy and policy at World Relief, to discuss the immigration reform issue.

By Dr. Joe Stowell

The time for immigration reform is now: Americans need to see that members of Congress can reach across the aisle to fix problems that matter to us.

In Grand Rapids, people of faith are joining hands with small business owners and people in law enforcement to ask Congress to pass commonsense immigration legislation. Now is the time to provide long-term solutions to a system that is broken and hasn’t undergone comprehensive review since 1965.

Dr. Joseph StowellCourtesy

Economic reasons for supporting reform include increased productivity and job growth. A recent report issued by Regional Economic Models, Inc., estimates that immigration reform would add more than 26,000 jobs to Michigan’s economy.

Major law enforcement organizations including the Major Cities Chiefs Association and the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association also have weighed in, noting that our current system disrupts community policing and threatens national security.

As powerful as these incentives for reform are, mine are more personal. For a growing number of evangelicals, our faith compels us to support reform.

Last spring I added my endorsement to the Evangelical Immigration Table’s Statement of Principles for Immigration Reform. We are a calling for policy that treats immigrants with respect, supports family unity, secures the border, treats taxpayers fairly, supports the rule of law and provides a process for those who are already here to eventually earn legal status and citizenship if they qualify.

Fifty years ago, during the civil rights movement, many evangelicals either remained silent or actively opposed efforts to desegregate and end discrimination. Apathy, indifference and fear carried the day for many people of faith. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote from a jail cell in Birmingham, Ala., imploring people of faith stand with him. Too few accepted the invitation.

Many now recognize immigration reform as one of the most important civil rights issues of our day. One reason I support commonsense reform is that I don’t want to be on the wrong side of history.

A stronger reason is that I don’t want to be on the wrong side of the gospel. More than 90 times in the Old Testament, God addresses the issue of the immigrant, asking his people to love them, to treat them fairly and to remember that we were once immigrants. In the New Testament we are told repeatedly that loving our neighbor is one of the greatest commandments, and Jesus used the story of the Good Samaritan to illustrate what neighborly love looks like.

Common sense immigration reform is an opportunity to strengthen the nation’s economy, to improve national security and to restore public confidence in government. It’s not only good for the nation; it’s good for western Michigan.

But for me it’s more than that. It’s an opportunity be a good neighbor, to honor the gospel and to live up to some of the highest virtues of my Christian faith: grace, forgiveness and hospitality.

Dr. Joe Stowell is president of Cornerstone University and Grand Rapids Theological Seminary.